Category: News

Scaffolding collapses on to six vehicles in Southsea – Local – Portsmouth News


Given the winds that are battering Hampshire at the moment it’s hardly surprising that some folks are experiencing some damage to property. Having jst heard about this I am pleased that nobody was hurt.

RESIDENTS have told of their shock after scaffolding attached to a hotel collapsed and crushed six cars.

High winds tore the structure from the side of the Best Western Royal Beach Hotel, in St Helen’s Parade, Southsea, causing the scaffolding to crash on to vehicles in Alhambra Road.

Part of the hotel’s balcony also came down with the scaffolding.

Luckily no one was hurt in the incident, which happened at about 8am today. The four storey, 120 bed roomed hotel, is fully booked.

Apparently help was on hand.

A group of firefighters from across the country who were staying at the hotel for a training course were immediately on scene to see if they could be of any assistance.

Scaffolding collapses on to six vehicles in Southsea – Local – Portsmouth News.

Flying Burrito Brothers Bassist Dies


Yet another artist from the late  60’s has passed away.

Chris Ethridge, bass guitarist with The Flying Burrito Brothers, died following complications from pancreatic cancer at the age of 65.

During a long career Ethridge, in addition to playing with the Flying Burrito Brothers, worked as a session musician. During those stints he worked with such names as Judy Collins, Leon Russell, Johnny Winter, Randy Newman, Ry Cooder, Linda Ronstadt, The Byrds, Jackson Browne and Willie Nelson with whom he toured for many years.

It seems appropriate to play this at this time

And take a look at the full band here

Chris Ethridge obituary: Bassist in Flying Burrito Brothers dies – latimes.com.

Keith Moon To Play Olympics ???


According to this Planet Rock article, the organisers of this summers olympics approached Who manager Bill Curbishley to see if drummer Keith Moon would like to play at one of the musical events.
Keith Moon Asked To Play Olympics | Rock News | News | Planet Rock.

I emailed back saying Keith now resides in Golders Green crematorium, having lived up to the Who’s anthemic line “I hope I die before I get old”,

said Curbishley

If they have a round table, some glasses and candles, we might contact him

RIP Levon Helm


Grammy award winner, Levon Helm died yesterday afternoon aged 71 after battling with cancer.

In a career spanning over 60 years Helm is probably best know as the drummer and lead singer of The Band who performed both as support to Bob Dylan and in their own right.

He also appeared as a solo artist playing with artists such as Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Albert Lee, Joe Walsh, Dr. John and many many more. Although best known as a drummer Helm was a multi-instrumentalist, playing mandolin, guitar, harmonica and banjo as well as drums and various percussion instruments. In addition Helm had a steady acting career, appearing in around a dozen movies.

The music world is today mourning the loss of a major talent.

Bloody Red Baron – Killed


Yes, on this day in history the “Bloody Red Baron” of Germany, Baron Manfred von Richthofen was shot down in France.

Richthofen was shot down and killed near Amiens on 21 April 1918. There has been considerable discussion and debate regarding aspects of his career, especially the circumstances of his death.

A Canadian captain, Arthur Roy Brown was officially credited with the kill but we all know different.

Don’t we !!!

Father Of Modern British Guitar Playing Dies – RIP Bert Weedon


Bert Weedon has died at the age of 91.

Weedon is the guy that most British musicians refer to when asked who influenced and inspired them to take up the guitar. He is well known as the author of the famous “Play In A Day” book and is cited by McCartney, May & Clapton as the source for their learning the guitar.

Bert began his show business career playing with names such as Ted Heath, Mantovani and The Squadronnaires, before becoming a featured soloist with the BBC Show Band. He also accompanied singing stars Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney, Nat King Cole and Judy Garland.

I have included the YouTube clips as a tribute for those who, like me, were brought up with the master on TV.

Shall We / Shan’t We Defence Policy


The continuing saga of the shall we / shan’t we defense plan.

Apparently this is the plane that the Labour government had ordered but was rejected by the current government. Now, it appears, they have changed their minds on discovering the mind-boggling costs of installing a catapult system to our new carriers.

Personally, I think I would be doing some serious auditing of the costs being put forward here.

A whole carrier can be built for £5.2bn but just one catapult system fitted to one ship will cost £1.8bn !!!

I believe that the shilly-shallying of successive governments has brought the defence of this once great nation to its knees. Yet the government is still committing the support of our forces without the relevent infrastructure being in place.

This is akin to writing cheques on an empty account.

Defence of the nation, protection of the oppressed is not cheap. Face up to it and get on with the job.

Or else, let’s forget about colonialism, worldwide policing, protection of the oppressed and let’s declare ourselves neutral and rely on other nations to protect us.

Royal Navy jet’s future up in the air – Local – Portsmouth News.

Increase use of A3 because of the Hindhead tunnel has made noise worse for East Hampshire residents


And not only for East Hampshire residents

Don’t forget the rest of us along the A3 / A3(M) corridor

This article highlights the impact to residents all the way down to Bedhampton.

Like wind and water, motorists will always take the path of least resistance. Surely it would have been obvious to the planners and the developers what would happen. If they had carried out surveys across the area they would have determined that many vehicles were using the A3 as a quicker route to offset the extra mileage. Once the reason for that diversion was removed then it was a dead cert that the traffic would take the shortest distance once more.

Once again it is the local residents that pay the price for the short sightedness of the planning fraternity.

Increase use of A3 because of the Hindhead tunnel has made noise worse for East Hampshire residents – Transport – Portsmouth News.

Dunsbury Hill Farm – New Development Proposal Affects on Waterlooville


Today I received a letter from HBC (Havant Borough Council) pertaining to the proposed development of the Dunsbury Hill Farm site, adjacent to the A3(M).

The description of the development is as follows:

Site Address: Dunsbury Hill Farm, Park Lane, Cowplain, Waterlooville

Proposed Development: Hybrid planning application comprising a part outline application relating to employment uses and a hotel with conference  facilities and a part detailed application for a new link road with bus gate to Woolston Road; together with landscaping, infrastructure and associated works.

I am sure that they don’t intend to hide what this development really means but on first reading I was quite happy to go along with it. After all a new hotel and conference centre would not increase the daily traffic levels and road traffic noise. The additional employment opportunities that this would bring is also to welcomed.

However, without reading the actual proposal one is not likely to see what this really is. In their own words …

… proposed development of agricultural land at Dunsbury Hill Farm, Havant into a business and technology park with hotel, conference facilities and associated infrastructure

The  development proposal includes the creation of a new roundabout and potential dualling of a section of the Hulbert Road. In addition there are plans to create a new parking area double the area of the current lay-bys this development will replace. All of this is an indication of the increased traffic that the developers are anticipating.
I have lived in this area since 1985. The survey that I had on my house at the time carries a final comment

shame about the noise from the motorway

Over the years  I have become aware of the increasing noise levels and the changing nature of the noise. Waterlooville, specifically Junction 3 (J3), the junction of the B2150 with the A3(M),  has become something of a hub for the emergency services. As a result anyone living near to this junction will have noticed the increased siren activity. If recent news articles are to be believed the newly opened Hindhead Tunnel is also contributing to increased noise levels along the A3(M) due to heavy goods traffic choosing the A3(M) in preference to the M3 now that the Hindhead traffic jams have been eliminated.
The application pack includes  tables indicating noise levels. The constant theme running through the comments section is

A3 constant and dominant.

What is wrong with these tables is that they are taking noise level reading from a point on the centre line of the A3(M) into the development area and on into Calshot Road & Park Lane areas of Leigh Park. No measurements seem to have been taken from the Waterlooville side of the A3(M).

Yet this is the area that will probably be most affected by the additional traffic generated by the new development.

The location of this new development makes total sense when you consider the easy access to the motorway. Allowing traffic to clear the area very quickly.  However, the very fact that all that traffic will be coming and going via J3 of the A3(M) is going to have a negative effect on the area.

Presumably the planners are thinking that this new development will provide jobs for the soon to be residents of the Berewood (ex Newlands) development on the opposite side of Waterlooville. Did they also consider the additional traffic that will inexorably be sucked across the town ? Such traffic will also be using the J3 roundabout.

I also have other questions, ones that I have asked in other of my posts …

  1. Are there any potential tenants who have committed to take up residence of these new units when they are built ?
  2. Has a major hotel chain registered any interest in running this proposed hotel and conference centre ?
  3. Was the land adjacent to Junction 2, Horndean, considered as the site for this development ? If it was, why was it rejected since there is less potential for affecting local residents and the motorway access is just as good ?I am assuming that the answer is that the land comes under East Hampshire District Council rather than Portsmouth City Council.

I am the first to bemoan the fact that the planners don’t seem to have done much to provide employment for the residents of Waterlooville. So I am loath to be totally negative about this proposed development. However, I don’t believe that the planners have got the true measure of the impact that this development will have.

As usual the only people who will truly gain from this are the developers and, for a short while, the folks employed to carry out the construction.

Heart attack patients receive best treatment in south at Queen Alexandra Hospital


No wonder the authorities keep trying to skim the QA skills and move them to Southampton.

QUEEN Alexandra Hospital’s heart attack unit is the best in the south, the latest figures show.

Patients have a better chance of surviving than any other hospital in the area and victims from as far away as West Sussex and the Isle of Wight are being taken straight to the Cosham super hospital because of the advances services available.

Of course this means that the work levels have risen.

Figures revealed in the South Central Cardiovascular Report show since QA was given permission to use the helipad 24 hours a day in September the number of heart attack victims admitted has gone up.

There were 288 admissions between April 2011 and December 2011, compared to 269 in Oxford, 229 in Southampton and 165 in Reading.

Despite the increased workload the QA shows that patients have a better chance of survival than if they are treated in any other similar hospital in the region.

The death rate for patients treated for severe heart attacks is 5.8 per cent at QA compared to 9.1 per cent at Southampton, 5.7 per cent at Oxford and 6.4 per cent in Reading.

Heart attack patients receive best treatment in south at Queen Alexandra Hospital – Local Health – Portsmouth News.